Author: staff
Published on 21/05/2026 – 12:39 GMT+2 When the phrase “the greatest detective in the world” is quoted from “The Mystery of the Blue Train”, discerning viewers will look back to ITV’s 13 series of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, starring David Suchet as the title character. Over the course of 70 episodes, which ran from 1989 to 2013, the show helmers adapted every major literary work by Christie featuring Poirot, from novel to short story. Several actors have played the Belgian gentleman sleuth over the years, from Peter Ustinov to Kenneth Branagh, but few can deny that the definitive portrayal was…
But Moscow’s inaction following Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro’s capture by American forces earlier this year — and inertia during the U.S.-Israeli strikes on Russian ally Iran — raises questions about how far the Kremlin is willing to go to defend its international partners, while its army is bogged down fighting in eastern Ukraine. During a press briefing in Moscow, Zakharova expressed “full solidarity” with Cuba in the face of “gross interference in the internal affairs of a sovereign state, intimidation, and the use of unilateral restrictive measures, threats, and blackmail.” “Cuba continues to be the target of brutal economic pressure…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 11:41 GMT+2•Updated 12:52 The European Commission on Thursday cut its 2026 growth forecast for the European economy, as the ongoing conflict in the Middle East drives energy prices sharply higher. The EU economy is now expected to grow by just 1.1% in 2026, down from the 1.4% projected in the Commission’s autumn forecast. The eurozone outlook was revised down further to 0.9%. In its report, the Commission warned that disruption to global energy markets — caused by escalating tensions around the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s key oil and gas shipping routes — has…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 13:01 GMT+2 Ukrainian forces have carried out a long-range drone strike on a Russian oil refinery, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the military said on Thursday. Posting on X, Zelenskyy said his forces had struck the Syzran oil refinery in western Russia, sharing video footage showing flames and black smoke billowing from what appeared to be the facility. “I thank the warriors of the Unmanned Systems Forces and the Special Operations Forces for their precision,” Zelenskyy wrote, adding that Kyiv would continue to target Russia’s oil refineries. In a post on Telegram, the Special Operations Forces…
Airbnb is no longer just trying to replace hotels – it wants to become your entire holiday. The travel giant is rolling out a major expansion that adds grocery deliveries, airport pickups, luggage storage, car rentals and experiences, including behind-the-scenes World Cup access, as it pushes further into full-service travel. Last year, the holiday rental platform launched Airbnb Experiences and Airbnb Services, which allowed users to not only book a place to stay, but to explore a city with a local or have a private chef cook you dinner. Now, it’s aiming to make trips more seamless and is also…
Almost two decades after the Spanish state paid tribute to the great lady of Canadian letters with the Princess of Asturias Award for Literature, Felipe VI has now formally presented her with the Joan Margarit Prize, created by the Cervantes Institute last September. Mónica and Pol Lezcano Margarit, daughter and grandson of the Catalan poet and professor of architecture who died in 2021, were tasked with reading poems by both Margaret Atwood and their relative during the ceremony, held at the University of Victoria. “We would like,” the king said in his speech, “you to receive this prize as a…
Kyiv has long sought to join the military alliance but has met resistance from Germany and the United States, even under the Biden administration. The issue has been almost entirely off the table since Donald Trump returned to the White House. Řehka also stressed the Czech Republic has to increase military expenditure to way above 2 percent of GDP, the former NATO target. The country’s defense budget has been at the center of a dispute between Czech President Petr Pavel and populist Prime Minister Andrej Babiš. Babiš initially decided to cut down military expenditure to 1.8 percent of GDP, despite…
Published on 21/05/2026 – 12:33 GMT+2 Russia delivered nuclear munitions to field storage facilities in Belarus as part of major nuclear drills, the defence ministries in Moscow and Minsk announced on Thursday. They have also released what they described as “video evidence” — a clip showing military vehicles driving into a forested area at an undisclosed location and missiles being loaded onto launchers. The Iskander-M, a mobile guided-missile system code-named “SS-26 Stone” by NATO, is intended to replace the Soviet-era Scud. Iskander-M’s guided missiles have a range of up to 500 kilometres and can carry conventional or nuclear warheads. Belarus…
The indictment announced this week by the United States against former Cuban president Raúl Castro is the latest episode in the pressure campaign that the Trump administration has waged for months against the island’s communist government. Castro was charged over his alleged role in the 1996 downing of two light aircraft operated by the Miami-based group Brothers to the Rescue. At the time, Castro was defence minister, while his brother, Fidel Castro, leader of the Cuban Revolution and the dominant figure in the island’s politics for more than half a century, was running the country as president. Today, at 94,…
Rising energy prices are also set to push inflation to 3.1 percent, up by a full percentage point from the fall forecast. The effects of the energy shock are set to extend into 2027, with growth estimated at 1.4 percent next year. “This confirms the negative implications of the war in the Middle East on the economy that has led to an economic slowdown,” Dombrovskis said. The EU’s three largest economies — Germany, France and Italy — are set to grow at 0.6 percent, 0.8 percent and 0.5 percent respectively this year, significantly below the EU average. The setback comes…